It's just another day at St. Thomas College until newly married English professor Alison Bergeron discovers a corpse in her car. The victim was a recent mailroom hire at the school. Alison barely knew him but he seemed like a nice enough guy. Shockingly, police soon identify him as a foot soldier for the local mob. Which makes the obvious question even more disturbing: why Alison's trunk? Alison's life only gets more complicated when the girls basketball coach drops dead and she is recruited to take his place. Alison knows she should leave well enough alone, but strange activity around campus, the players' overzealous parents, and her own suspicious nature make her wonder if the coach really died of natural causes. Soon she's strategizing both on and off the court -- serious business when all plays seem to be headed for sudden death.